Treatment

The goal of treatment is to get rid of the infection and reduce damage to the bone and surrounding tissues.

Antibiotics are given to destroy the bacteria causing the infection:

You may receive more than 1 antibiotic at a time.

Antibiotics are taken for at least 4 to 6 weeks, often at home through an IV (intravenously, meaning through a vein).

Surgery may be needed to remove dead bone tissue if the above methods fail:

If there are metal plates near the infection, they may need to be removed.

The open space left by the removed bone tissue may be filled with bone graft or packing material. This promotes the growth of new bone tissue.

Infection that occurs after joint replacement may require surgery. This is done to to remove the replaced joint and infected tissue in the area. A new prosthesis may be implanted in the same operation. More often, doctors wait until the infection has gone away.

, it will need to be well controlled. If there are to the infected area, such as the foot, surgery may be needed to improve blood flow and get rid of the infection.

Outlook (Prognosis)

With treatment, the outcome for acute osteomyelitis is often good.

The outlook is worse for those with long-term (chronic) osteomyelitis. Symptoms may come and go for years, even with surgery. Amputation may be needed, especially in people with diabetes or poor blood circulation.

The outlook for people with an infection of a prosthesis depends partly on:

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch)